Lubricator.



R. S. CAMPBELL.

LUBRICATOR.

APPLxcATloN FILED ocr. 28. 191s.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

CDLLJMBIA rLANouRAPl-l co., WASHINGTON, D, c.

rar rain,

LUBRICATOR.

Application fled October 28, 1913.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT S. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Straw Plains, in the county of Jefferson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lubricators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawmO.

ivly inprovement relates particularly to lubricators for rock drills operated by steam, compressed air, or similar elastic Huid; but the improvement is applicable alsov to lubricators fo-r other machines.

The object of the improvement is to provide a lubricator which is adapted to deliver oil in even quantities and to be attached to a horizontal port in one of the side walls of a drill in such manner as to reduce danger of breaking the lubricator by blows imparted during the handling of the drill.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is an upright section of a. lubricator embodying my impro-vement, said section being taken on the line, 1-1, of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a section of the same lubricator, taken on the line, 2-2, of Fig. 1; Fig, 3 is a horizontal section on the line, 3 3, of Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4l is a horizontal section on the line, r-ll, of Figs. 1 and 2, looking downward; Fig. 5 is a section on the same line looking upward; Fig. 6 is adetail lan.

p Referring to said drawings, A is the body of the lubricator. At its lower end said body has a screwsthreaded opening, 1, into which is threaded the column, B. Said column comprises a relatively large cylindrical lower portion, 2, an upper portion, 3, of less diameter, a cap, il, spring, 5, annular plate, 6, and ball, 7. rlhe lower portion, 2, of the column is exteriorly screw-threaded to fit into the opening. 1. in the body, A, and extends downward below the body to form a screw-threaded stem adapted to be threaded into the wall of the drill or other machine, and to receive a jam nut, 8, and bear against the lower end of the body.

The portion, 3, of the column, B, within the body, A, is of smaller diameter and its upper end is eXteriorly screw-threaded. From its lower end to a point a little way above the bottom o-f the body, A, said column has a bore, 9, of suitable diameter only for the passage of steam or other elastic fluid. Above said point said bore is large Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 23, tato.

Serial No. 797,785.

enough to receive a ball, 7, and a stem, 10, projecting downward from the cap, 4l, and leaving space between said stem and the wall of the column. The cap, 4, has a downwardly-directed interiorly-threaded flange, 11, fitting around the upper threaded portion, 3, of the column. In its top, said cap has a slot, 12, to receive a screw driver. In the upper end of the body, A, is a threaded opening, 13, in which rests a plug, C. Said opening is to be of proper size to allow the insertion of a screw-driver or other tool for engaging the cap, 4L, to turn the latter, and for the insertion of lubricant.

- The stem, 10, on the cap is long enough to nearly touch the ball, 7, when the latter rests on the seat formed around the en,- larged upper portion of the bore, 9. A little way above said seat, the wall of the column, B, has two apertures, 14, for the passage of oil from the body, A, into and downward through the column, B. rlwo similar apertures, 15, are formed in the cap above said column. Said apertures are also for the passage of oil, as will be hereinafter described.

rlhe lower face, 16, of the flange, 11, of the cap is made irregular, corrugated, or undulated. Beneath said cap, the portion, 3, of the column is loosely surrounded by the annular washer or plate, 6, which has its upper face irregular', corrugated, or undulated. Said washer has an inner too-th, 17, which enters an upright groove, 18, inthe adjacent portion of the column to prevent said plate from turning on the column. Below said plate the expanding coiled spring, 5, surrounds the portion, 3, of the column and bears at its 'upper end against said plate and at its lower end against the portion, 2, of the column, whereby said plate is constantly pressed upward against the annular face, 16, of the cap for the making of a frictional engagement between said plate and said cap to restrain the rotation of the latter. By practice I have repeatedly K found that it is difficult to maintain this cap in position without the use of such a frictio-nal resistance member. I have found that, without such means for resisting the rotation of said cap, the cap will move downward more and more until it and the ball, 7, are bound tightly to the portion, 3, of the column. This, it will be seen, is due to the impact of the drill tools against the rock, the action upon such cap being the same in natureas the action upon an ordinary hammer or ax, when the handle is butted endwise against some relatively stationary object. Such action upon said cap is overcome by the resistance to rotation offered by said washer. Said washer is a yielding memberresisting the rotation of said cap.

The lower portion, 2, of the column, B, is made a little larger than the diameter of the cap, C, in order that the column, with all its vparts in place, may be removed through' the lower portion of the body, A; or that the body, A, may be turned to run upward on the threads of the portion, 2, of the column, until it is free from the column, and then lifted entirely away, the

opening, l, of the body, A, being largeenough to pass the column. This permits convenient separation of the parts to make adjustments and repairs. The ball, 7, tends t0 rest upon its seat and prevent the iiow of oil from the body, A, downward through the lower portion of the column. The vi-V brationsl of the lubricator, which are transmitted to the latter during the operation Yof the'drill, rock the ball and thereby cause it to leave its seat sufliciently to allow oil to iow downward through the bore of the column. The quantity of oil thus passing Vdepends upon the degree of fluidity of the oil, the degree of vibration and the height of the cap stem, l0, above the ball. The thicker the oil, the less the vibration, and the closer the lower end of said stem stands to the ball when the latter is on its seat, the less will be the flow. For varying such flows, the cap is turned to raise or lower the stem, 10; and such` adjustment is maintained by the actionof the spring, 5, and the annular plate, 6, upon the cap, as already described.

When the drill is operated by steam, provision must be made for the accumulation of Water of condensation in the lower portion o f the body A. This is done by plug- Vging the apertures, 14, in the portion, 3, of

the column adjacent the ball. The water coming from the condensation of steam passing upward through the column and through the apertures, l5, in the cap may accumulate in the portion of the body, A, below the level of said apertures. `While said water thus rises, it lifts the oil more and more and allows it to flow into the column through said apertures, 15. Vhen the water reaches said level, it must be removed. That may be done by drawing the drain plug, 19, in the lower portion of the body, A. Thus thesame mechanism constitutes anefhcient lubricator for the use of either rst eam or oil, changing from air to steam 'requiring merely plugging the apertures, 14C,

but for the purpose of limiting the distance it extends away from the side of the drill body, D, it is preferable to flatten said body so as to make it approximately the shape of an ordinary watch or canteen, the shorter axis being perpendicular to the adjacent wall of the drill body. The body, A, is secured to the drill body, D, by means of a horizontal screw-threaded neck or wrist, 20, which is rigid on and preferably integral with the body, A, and extends into a screwthreaded port, 2l, in one of the side walls of the drill.

The bore, 9, in the lower portion of the column, B, extends downward from the ball seat and opens into a horizontal bore, Q2, extending transversely through the column and having each end opening into a channel, 23, extending around the periphery of said column. From a point in the wall of the body, A, opposite the channel, 23, a tube, 24, extends outward in said wall and thence upward and outward through the wrist or neck, 20. Said tube is preferably put into the mold when the body, A, is east, so that both ends of the tube are in the wall, as shown by the drawings. The bore, 9, the bore, 22, the groove, 23, and the tube, 24, together constitute a duct or passage leading from the valve through the neck, 20.

The lower end of the tube, 2li comes opposite a portion of the channel, 23, regardless of the precise position in which the column, B, ceases turning when it is screwed upward into the body, A; for the channel, 28, as above stated, extends around said body. Oil passing downward through the bore, 9, fiows laterally through the bore, 29., into the channel, 28. Hence, whenever the ball, 7, rises from its seat, oil may flow from the space above the bore, 9, through said bore, and through the bore, 22, channel, 23, and into the tube, 2l, as high as the level of the oil in the body, A. This much will be accomplished by the ordinary action of gravity. But, the vibration or jarring of the machine which causes the ball to rise, either bodily upward or by partial rolling, will allow the abrupt return of the ball to its seat, thus exerting downward pressure upon the oil immediately beneath the ball. This downward pressure is transmitted to the oil in the tube, 24, whereby the oil in said tube is made to rise until it flows through the upper end of said tube and discharges into the drill. In other words, the action of the jarring of the machine causes the ball to produce a pulsatory action for the delivery of oil through the tube, 2l.

A flange-form guard and staying member, E, extends horizontally outward from the side wall of the body, D, in such manner as to form a circular wall inclosing a space adapted to receive the body, A, of the lubricator before the column, B, and the plug, C,

have been inserted. In the upper portion of the guard member, E, is an aperture, 26, which registers with the opening, 13, in the top of the body, A, and is large enough to permit the insertion of the plug, C, through the opening, 2G, into the opening, 13. When that has 4been done, the plug, C, is held against such lateral movement as would result from the rotation of the body, A, on the axis of the neck, 20. 'Ihus the plug, C, performs the double function of closing the upper portion of the body, A, and also locking or retaining said body against rotation after it has been screwed into position on the side of the body, A, and within said guard and retaining member. At its lower portion, said guard and retaining member has a notch, 27, large enough to allow the insertion of the column, B, and the placing of the jam nut, 8, into position on the column, B, after the body, A, is in its position. rlhe notch, 27, is preferably large enough to permit the engagement of the jam nut, 8, with a suitable wrench. 'Ihe member, 25, may be extended outward from the drill wall as far as desired or omitted altogether. Cn the outer face of the body, A, are two lugs, 28, adapted to be engaged by any suitable tool for the rotation of said body for the insertion of the neck, 20, into the wall of the drill.

In addition to serving to retain'the body, A, against rotation, the member, E, serves as a guard for the body, A, against blows incident to the handling and operating of the drill.

Many drills now on the market have at each side a port for the attachment of a steam or air supply pipe, one of said ports being plugged when the pipe is attached to the other port. The neck, 20, of my lubricator is adapted to be screwed into the port which does not receive the pipe.

It will be observed that the body axis (the line on which the body turns) is substantially perpendicular to the drill wall through which the oil is delivered. In other words, the valve axis is substantially perpendicular to the discharge of the lubricator. The axis of the column, B, is parallel to the wall to which the lubricator is attached, the attachment being formed by extending the neck, 20, horizontally away from and perpendicular to the column, B.

I claim as my invention:

1. A lubricator comprising a hollow body and a valve, the valve forming an outlet from said body and having an upright axis, and the body having a neck provided with a duct and extending laterally from the side of the body for attaching the lubricator to a machine, substantially as described.

2. A lubricator comprising a hollow-body and a valve, the valve forming an outlet from said body and having an upright axis, and the body having a neck extending laterally from the side of the body for attaching the lubricator to a machine, and a tube cast into said body and having one end in communication with the valve and having its other end extending through said neck, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a hollow lubricator body having a neck provided with a duct and extending laterally from the side of the body, a wall into which said neck extends, an adjustable member extending outward from said body approximately perpendicu larly to the axis of said neck, and4 a fixed member extending outward from said wall beside said adjusting member for preventing rotation of the lubricator body on the axis of said neck, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a hollow lubricator body having a neck provided with a duct and extending laterally from the side of the body, a wall into which said neck extends, an adjustable member extending outward from said body approximately at right angles to the axis of said neck, and a guard wall supported by the above mentioned wall and having an opening into which said adjustable member extends to prevent rotation of the lubricator body on the axis of said neck, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a lubricator body having a lateral neck, a wall into which said neck extends, a valve column extending through the wall of said body and projecting outward therefrom, and a retaining member extending outward from said wall and having a notch to receive the projecting portion of said valve column, substantially as described.

6. 'Ihe combination of a hollow lubricator body having a neck provided with a duct and extending laterally from the side of the. body, a valve located in said body with its axis approximately-perpendicular to the axis of said neck, a wall into which said neck extends, a guard wall supported on the above-mentioned wall and surrounding said lubricator body, and means for engaging said body to prevent its rotation on the axis of said neck, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this eleventh day of October, in the year one thousand nine hundred and thirteen.

RCBER'I S. CAMPBELL.

YVitnesses:

HENRY L. CAMPBELL, CYRUs KEHR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

